Monday, March 01, 2010

In today's column, I review the new season of "Southland", about which my feelings are unchanged from midway through the show's brief first season: the stuff with the two uniform cops in the car is pretty good, and if the show was just that, it would be fine, but the rest doesn't really work.

6 comments:

clever_aint_wise
said...

I've been trying to figure out what it is about Southland that isn't working for me, and your column really nailed it. I can barely remember the characters names and don't care much what they're up to. Which would be a problem on any show but on Southland I already like so many of the actors, you'd think it would be easy to connect to the characters. Instead I just sit there thinking how much I liked Shawn Hatosy in Outside Providence, how kick ass I think Regina King is, and debating whether or not I find Ben McKenzie attractive. I'm only still watching because I like the cast so much, but at the same time liking the cast also makes me realize how distant I feel from the characters they're playing. And with so much going on that we barely get to know anyone's story, it feels like potluck TV.

I don't have cable, so I'll catch S2 of this on DVD, if only to see how they resolve the S1 finale. I agree with many of the criticisms of the show, and I think clever_aint_wise nailed why I stuck with it...I love most of the actors on the show, including a great affection for Ben McKenzie. But, to be honest, I kept thinking at various points, "wow, so Ryan Atwood grew up to be a cop. Sandy would be proud."

I do wish that Michael O'Grady's character were gone or more interesting, and certainly Cooper and Sherman are stand-outs as characters, but I disagree that the show as a whole doesn't work. It's not perfect--get rid of Sal and get rid of the voiceovers--but I still absolutely adore the show. I think it's the best thing on television right now, a worthy successor to Homicide, better than The Shield. It's not quite The Wire, but it's also not as relentlessly grim, and sometimes that's a good thing.

I love it. And I don't normally know characters' names (I don't know anyone's names on Modern Family and I adore that show) so that's not a barometer for me. I love the female detective and want to be like her when I grow up.